CHAPTER XII.

THE TIMES AND CAREER OF MICHAEL THE BRAVE.

The state of society—­Greater
and lesser boyards—­Taxation and oppression
of the peasantry—­Immorality of the boyards—­The
priesthood—­Officers of State—­Classes
of peasantry—­Rise of the towns—­The
soldiery—­Aggressions of Turks and Tartars—­Michael
the Brave—­His rise to power—­Accession
to the throne (1594)—­Remonstrances
with the Porte—­Alliance with Hungary and
Poland—­Massacre of the Turks—­Anecdote—­Conspiracy
against Michael quelled—­The Turks
attacked and routed on the Danube—­Invasion
of Wallachia by Achmed Pasha—­His defeat—­Michael
swears fealty to Sigismund of Transylvania—­Second
Turkish invasion by Sinan Pasha—­Determined
stand of Michael at Giurgevo—­Retreat of
Michael and battle of Kalugereni—­Defeat
of Sinan—­Retreat of Michael—­Occupation
of Wallachia by Sinan—­Michael and his allies
take the offensive—­Flight of Sinan
and slaughter of the Turks at Giurgevo—­The
Turks expelled—­Peace in Wallachia—­Intrigues
of Michael—­Accession of Andreas Bathori—­Invasion
and conquest of Transylvania by Michael—­His
triumph—­Michael, Prince of Transylvania—­Further
intrigues—­Invasion and conquest of Moldavia—­Michael
in the zenith of his power—­Feud with the
nobles—­Michael encounters them at Miriszlo—­Their
Austrian ally, General Basta—­Defeat
and flight of Michael—­Anecdote—­Continued
misfortunes of Michael—­Petitions the
Emperor—­Is permitted to visit him—­Recall
of Sigismund Bathori—­Michael reinstated
by the Emperor—­Invades Transylvania
in alliance with Basta—­Defeat of the nobles
at Gorozlo—­Quarrels of the victorious generals—­Basta
determines to remove Michael—­Employs
a Walloon officer to assassinate him—­Michael
murdered in his tent (1601)—­Flight of his
boyards—­The German Court refuses to
reward Basta’s treachery.

I.

As the state of the northern Danubian territories
before the foundation of the Principalities has been
compared by us to the present condition of what is
called Independent Tartary, and at a subsequent period
to that of the early Saxons, so in the reign of Michael
the Brave (1593-1601 A.D.) the state of society resembled
that of England under the Norman kings; indeed, there
is a remarkably interesting agreement in some of its
phases. As in England there were greater and
lessor barons, so in Moldo-Wallachia there were greater
and lesser boyards. These seem to have possessed
all the rapacity of our robber barons, with but little
of their reputed chivalry. They oppressed
the peasantry, who since the time of Vlad the Impaler
were to a large extent serfs, with unbearable taxes,
and endeavoured on all occasions to shift the burdens
of the State upon those whose shoulders were the least
able to bear them. One of these imposts was the
poll-tax, similar to that which gave rise to Wat.
Tyler’s riots in the time of Richard II., but
which, strange to say, still survives in Roumania,
to the dissatisfaction of all her right-minded citizens.